MSI MEG Ai1300P ATX 3.0 1300-watt 80 PLUS Platinum PSU Review

TweakTown's Rating: 94%

The Bottom Line

MSI's MEG Ai1300P has a ton of power in a compact design, constructed of 100% Japanese capacitors, uses software integration to give user power info, and has multiple GPU connection options, just be wary in regards to the marketing.

Pros

• + 1300 watts in a very compact design
• + 80 PLUS Platinum rated
• + MSI Center gave accurate enough information

Cons

• - Misleading 2X Total Power Excursion and 3X GPU Power Excursion claims
• - Mini USB connection on PSU

Should you buy it?

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Buy at Amazon

Buy at Newegg

Introduction, Specifications, and Pricing

MSI, which we have done quite a few PSU reviews in the past, has sent over another ATX 3.0 PSU, this time with some AI monitoring software. The MEG Ai1300P PCIE5 is an 80 PLUS Platinum-rated ATX 3.0 PSU with the same marketing on the exterior of the packaging as the previously reviewed MAG A850GL.

The MEG lineup of PSUs carries a higher price tag but with much higher quality. MSRP is listed for $359.99 but can be had as little as $260, making it a compelling offering. So, why don't we dive in and hope the MEG doesn't eat us alive? Shall we?

MSI MEG Ai1300P ATX 3.0 1300-watt 80 PLUS Platinum PSU

	Today	Yesterday	7 days ago	30 days ago
	$309.99	$309.99	$309.99	$309.99	Buy
	$323.99	$323.99	$323.99	$309.99	Buy
* Prices last scanned on 4/26/2024 at 9:56 pm CDT - prices may not be accurate, click links above for the latest price. We may earn an affiliate commission.

Packaging

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The MEG Ai1300P packaging has a black exterior with a picture of the PSU inside. Notice the same marketing as the MAG series of PSU with "2X Total Power Excursion" and "3X GPU Power Excursion". Also present is the 80 Plus Platinum rating, so we will be testing at a 50% PSU load to see if the MEG Ai1300P holds up to its 92% efficiency rating.

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The rear of the packaging shows a few major features, specifications, and how many connectors are included. Cable lengths are also shown on the right-hand side.

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Opening up the MEG Ai1300P's packaging, there is a note showing the end-user what to look for when plugging the 12VHPWR connection into the PSU and GPU sides. Improperly connected cables can lead to hardware damage due to this user error.

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Taking out the black pouch contains all the cabling.

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The cabling is all pulled out, which are all individually sleeved, except the 600-watt 12VHPWR cable, of which a full sleeve is present. Uniformity would have been nice to see here.

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MSI has also included black cable combs as well as a power cable.

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The MEG Ai1300P is packaged nicely and safely with two high-density black foam pieces and a clear plastic bag protecting the unit from any damage while in transit.

Outside the MSI MEG Ai1300P ATX 3.0 PSU

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Removing the MEG Ai1300P from its packaging shows a black and gold theme. What is unique here is the use of magnetic plates for the MEG and dragon plates. Using a magnetic plate allows the end-user to configure the plates they want to show or not show.

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The other side, which also has magnetic plates, shows another dragon and the MSI name logo.

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The rear of the MEG Ai1300P shows a ventilation pattern with several smaller triangles throughout. A power rocker switch and power input are on the right-hand side, with the MEG faintly shown.

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The top left fan section of the fan intake also sports the MEG branding.

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Here is an overview of the top fan section of the MEG Ai1300P, which is complete with more gold accents. Notice the off-center fan spacing.

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The cable input side of the MEG Ai1300P starts with the 12VHPWR rated at 600 watts. Next are six 8-pin PCI-E inputs to the right and bottom of the 12VHPWR connection. Two 8-pin CPU/EPS inputs are located in the center. The last section has four 6-pin SATA and MOLEX inputs, and the 10-pin and 18-pin inputs make up the 24-pin motherboard input.

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Off to the far right, just under the MEG symbol, is a mini-USB input that terminates to a motherboard header USB 2.0 connection to talk to the MSI Center software; more on that later.

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The undercarriage of the MEG Ai1300P shows some basic electrical information, namely having 108.33 amps on the +12V rail, which makes up the 1300-watt specification.

Inside the MSI MEG Ai1300P ATX 3.0 PSU

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Inside the MEG Ai1300P, we find a 120mm fan model PLA12024S12H-4. But this fan is somewhat special, having liquid crystal polymer material for the fan blades, which reduces vibrations while running at maximum speed. Secondly, the fan blades are optimized at a 32-degree angle to retain 58% of the airflow. Lastly, the HDB (Hydro-Dynamic) bearing reduces friction noise and as well as lengthening the lifespan of the fan.

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Looking closer at the motherboard of the MEG Ai1300P, we find a very compact design with the OEM being from CWT (Channel Well Technology), sharing a very similar board design to the 1000-watt model.

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The two capacitors from the Japanese company Rubycon are rated at 420v with 680µF each, making for a combined total of 1,360µF. The capacitors are also rated up to 105C.

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The VRM stage of the MEG Ai1300P uses analog controllers.

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Part of the transient filter, the CM chokes help block high-frequency noise common in power lines, which allows the DC or low-frequency signal to pass.

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Pictured here is the transient stage of the MEG Ai1300P.

Test System

• Motherboard: B650 AORUS Elite AX (AMD B650) - Buy from Amazon
• CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7950X - Buy from Amazon
• Cooler: Deepcool AK620 Digital - Buy from Amazon
• Memory: Patriot Viper Venom 32GB DDR5 5600 RGB - Buy from Amazon
• Graphics Card: NVIDIA RTX 2080 Super - Buy from Amazon
• Storage: Corsair MP600 PRO XT Gen4 PCIe x4 NVMe M.2 SSD - Buy from Amazon
• Case: XPG Valor Mesh - Buy from Amazon
• Power Supply: XPG Core Reactor II 850w ATX 3.0 PSU - Buy from Amazon
• OS: Microsoft Windows 11 Pro 64-bit Build 22621 - Buy from Amazon
• Software: AIDA64 Engineer 6.8.6300, and CPU-z 2.03.0 x64

Testing & Final Thoughts

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Testing the MSI MEG Ai1300P was the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, a 16-core 32-threaded CPU, with a TDP of 170 watts, which at 100% load averaged 158 watts. The test GPU, the NVIDIA RTX 3090 FE, used about 367 watts on average when fully loaded. Wattage from the wall was measured with a Killawatt P3 P4400 Electricity Usage Monitor, which reported around 650 watts, indicating a 50% PSU load. Adding up all the other numbers in our PSU testing, the total wattage reached 598 watts, making the MSI MEG Ai1300P 92% efficient, earning its 80 Plus Platinum badge.

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The MSI Center, the software that the MSI MEG Ai1300P uses to report electrical PSU data back to the end-user, said only 4 watts more than what was found in testing; the MSI Center does a decent job providing good information.

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Running the "Real-Time Dashboard" gives various graphical charted information on CPU, GPU, Total Wattage output wattage, and other metrics.

So, is the MSI MEG Ai1300P a good ATX 3.0 PSU? Yes, absolutely. However, I have a few things to keep in mind. First, throw out all the marketing about the "2X Total Power Excursion" and "3X GPU Power Excursion", which are just fancy terms to explain a power spike. Secondly, please remove the Mini USB connector on the PSU input side. It was a terrible connection when it was on cell phones back in the day, so I hope to see a USB Type-C version in the future.

MSI also included a 10-year warranty, which makes it easier to have a quality PSU that will last you for years and builds to come.